Decoding Crop Acclimation to Deficit Irrigation under Climate Variability: Hydraulic Signalling, Hormonal Crosstalk, Molecular Reprogramming, and Yield Resilience
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17140/phoj.2026.v11.i01.pp716-728.2671Keywords:
deficit irrigation, drought acclimation, hydraulic signalling, abscisic acid, hormonal crosstalkAbstract
Climate variability is intensifying the mismatch between crop water demand and irrigation supply, making deficit
irrigation (DI) an increasingly important strategy for sustaining agricultural production with reduced water availability.
Yet, the success of DI depends not simply on the amount of water withheld, but on the capacity of crops to perceive,
transmit and integrate water-deficit signals while protecting reproductive development and harvestable yield. This
review synthesizes crop acclimation to DI across four interacting levels: hydraulic signalling, hormonal crosstalk,
molecular reprogramming and yield resilience. Early declines in soil and root-zone water potential alter root hydraulic
conductance, xylem tension, aquaporin activity and root-to-shoot communication, rapidly constraining stomatal
conductance and canopy water loss. These hydraulic responses interact strongly with abscisic acid (ABA), auxin,
cytokinins, ethylene, jasmonates, salicylic acid and strigolactones to coordinate stomatal behaviour, root-system
plasticity, source-sink relations and reproductive survival. At the molecular level, ABA-dependent PYR/PYL–PP2C–
SnRK2 signalling, ABA-independent DREB pathways, NAC/MYB/WRKY transcription factors, Ca2+ and reactive oxygen
species signalling, osmoprotectant metabolism, antioxidant defence, aquaporins and stress-associated proteins
collectively reprogram plant growth and metabolism. An additional emerging dimension is the contribution of
rhizosphere and endophytic microbiomes to hormonal regulation, root architecture, nutrient acquisition, osmotic
adjustment and redox homeostasis under water limitation. Evidence from meta-analyses indicates that DI commonly
improves water productivity while imposing context-dependent yield penalties, with responses governed by crop,
genotype, soil texture, climate, irrigation method, deficit intensity and phenological timing. Moderate and stage-
specific deficits can therefore function as controlled acclimation signals, whereas severe or poorly timed deficits,
particularly when combined with heat stress, disrupt carbon assimilation, reproductive processes and grain or fruit
filling. Integrating plant signalling biology, microbiome functions, high-throughput sensing and precision irrigation
can shift DI from a fixed water-saving practice toward a biologically informed strategy for stabilizing yield and water
productivity under climate uncertainty.
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